My April Environmental Hero of the Month: Adison, Founder of Neighborhood Compost
Fast Facts about Adison
From: New Jersey, United States
Profession: Founder of Neighborhood Compost and Professional Musician
Hobbies: Cooking, Music, Traveling
Favorite Eco-Friendly Habit: Sharing Clothes with Friends or Buying Second-Hand
Have you ever wondered what happens to your food waste after you throw it away?
I always thought it heads off to the landfill where it would break down naturally. But sadly, I was wrong…
While my food will head to the landfill, it will not break down naturally. Instead, my food waste, along with the 80 BILLION POUNDS of American food waste each year, will become trapped in the already full landfill and compacted tightly between other garbage. Trapped without air, OUR food will break down at a much slower rate than normal and in the process release methane, a greenhouse gas that is 20x more potent than Carbon Dioxide.
Multiply this garbage, and the methane produced by landfills, by the global population and we have a HUGE problem… but don’t panic. There is a solution that will divert billions of pounds of food from the waste stream while also nourishing the planet in return! And you may have heard of it… it’s composting!
So, for this month’s Environmental Hero, I would like to proudly introduce you to Adison! Adison has made it her mission to tackle food waste and founded her own compost pick-up service Neighborhood Compost, to do so.
Who is Adison and How Did Neighborhood Compost Come to Be?
Adison is a Rockstar, in all forms of the word. Professionally, she is an incredibly talented musician who has toured the world with the likes of Beyonce, JayZ, Demi Lovato, and more. Personally, she is passionate about our beautiful Earth and decided to turn her personal project of vermicomposting into a professional business to help her community!
Growing up in rural New Jersey, it always made sense to Adison that food waste should return to the Earth to help nourish it. When speaking to her she highlighted how she has always felt that caring for the planet is “about developing compassion and empathy for people that you don’t know and taking action to give back and show gratitude towards the planet”.
Influenced by this passion she made a commitment to personal sustainability including composting in her apartment, saving her glass jars, and using her own containers to pick up food from restaurants! After living for some time in Italy though, and experiencing how food waste reduction and composting were ingrained in the culture, she brought back with her an even greater motivation to prevent food waste on a larger scale.
So How Exactly Did Neighborhood Compost Come to Be?
After years of touring professionally, the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the unexpected cancellation of Adison’s upcoming music tours. Wondering what to do next, Adison spent time on her family’s rural New Jersey farm and considered how she could continue to compost in her small apartment, without the 5,000+ worms she was currently using in her vermicomposting systems. Deciding that a compost pick-up service would be best, she set out to find a service in her area and was disappointed to find that there were none. From meditating on this experience though, she realized what she would do…
She would start her own compost pick-up service, Neighborhood Compost!
Neighborhood Compost:
Neighborhood Compost is an affordable compost pick-up service that makes composting simple. All you need to do is sign up, fill up your bucket, leave it outside for pickup (weekly or bi-weekly), and Adi will do the rest! Also, after each pick-up, Adison both cleans your bucket and provides you with an eco liner and some sawdust that will prevent any extra odors.
This means that whether you live in a cramped apartment, a bustling family home, or anywhere in between it is easier than ever to help the planet and reduce your footprint!
To bring the process full circle, and close the loop between food production and food waste, Adison also offers a farm share containing fresh produce from local farm partners! It’s truly a win-win for everyone.
Since its first compost pick-up in July 2020, Neighborhood Compost has:
- Diverted over 25,000 pounds of food waste from landfills
- Partnered with 32 local farms
- Delivered 398 farm shares
- Donated over 500 pounds of produce to those in need
And there are no signs of slowing anytime soon….
Neighborhood Compost currently serves areas of both New Jersey and New York, with plans for expansion! While Adison hopes that one-day Neighborhood Compost will be nationwide, she says her current plans are “to keep consistently growing Neighborhood Compost, getting the word out there, really just building up the community, doing outreach to new communities, and spreading awareness around food waste.”
And so far, she has done just that! She recently expanded her service area to Morristown, NJ, is spreading awareness about food waste on social media, and has created local partnerships to increase Neighborhood Compost’s impact.
Neighborhood Compost was recently featured on Good Morning America for their partnership with BoroBabi, a sustainable children’s clothing rental service. When the clothing reaches its end of life, Neighborhood Compost will be composting the clothing to reduce waste! How Cool Right?!
As Neighborhood Compost continues to grow in size, Adison is also looking to expand her team and hire compost pick-up drivers! If you or anyone you may know is interested, click here to learn more.
Time for the Nitty Gritty: How Do I Get Involved With Neighborhood Compost?
It’s simple!
1. Choose Your Plan: Adison offers both Compost Pick-Up and Farm Share subscriptions. So, take a moment to pick the plan that would work best for you. If you are interested in both, make sure to pick a combination plan!
For a household of 1-3 people, Adison recommends the bi-weekly pick-up!
2. Fill the Bucket: After you sign-up, Adison will drop off your personal Neighborhood Compost Bucket at your home. The starting kit will also contain a liner and sawdust (which helps absorb moisture and neutralize the odor). Once you have your bucket you can start filling it with food scraps from the compost guide.
3. Place the Bucket at the Designated Pick-Up Spot: Dependent on the plan you chose, Adison and her team will either pick up your bucket weekly or bi-weekly. Adison will reach out to you directly to determine what the best pick-up location would be for you. This means that even if you live in an apartment you will have no worries signing up! On your designated day, simply put the bucket in the designated pick-up spot and Adison will pick it up, clean it, and return it to you!
4. Receive Your Compost (If you would like): After your waste is picked up it heads off to Adi’s family farm where it is then put into large compost piles. When a compost pile is ready you are welcome to your share of the compost. Compost is nutrient-rich and really helps improve the quality of your soil, so it would be perfect if you have a green thumb!
No desire for the compost, no worries! Adi will donate the unused compost to local farms she partners with!
Want to Be Involved Further With Neighborhood Compost?
Consider volunteering or applying to become a new team member!
Currently, Adison is looking to expand the Neighborhood Compost team and is specifically looking for a part-time driver/ compost pick-up person! So if you or anyone you know may be interested make sure to apply! Click here for more information
So, Three Cheers for Neighborhood Compost!
Ultimately, Adison and Neighborhood Compost provide an essential service that makes it easy and affordable for us all to help the planet. Her passion for the environment, desire to spread awareness about food waste, and drive to help everyone become involved in composting are just some of the many reasons she is my environmental hero.
I highly recommend signing up for her service if you are from New Jersey or New York!
Currently, Neighborhood Compost operates in:
- Bergen County, NJ
- Hudson County, NJ
- Bedminster, NJ
- Morristown, NJ
- Nyack, NY
So, make sure to head to her website, www.neighborhoodcompost.com, or click here to sign up! Also, make sure to follow her Instagram account @neighborhoodcompost to keep up to date on what Neighborhood Compost is doing!
Don’t see your area on the list, but love this service? Reach out to people in your area to see if they would also like to join. Adison is happy to expand her service if there are several households interesting in participating!
Know anyone who you believe is an environmental hero?
Reach out to me at contactme@ecofriendlywithemmy.com and let me know why you think they should be featured! I love learning about all the ways amazing people are making this Earth a better place!
